When the first blog was published back in 1994, it would have been hard to predict how important blogging would become to digital marketing strategies for businesses all over the world.
Today, blogs are used by organizations of all types and sizes for a variety of important reasons. Some use them to cement their authority in their industries, introduce their audiences to new services and products, or boost their search engine results page (SERP) ranking through search engine optimization (SEO) tactics. Other organizations use blogs to create brand awareness or generate leads.
As important as a blog is to your content writing and marketing strategy, it’s also important to know how to wrap it up.
Here are my five favorite ways to end a blog post.
1. Call-to-Action
Ending a blog post with a call-to-action, or a CTA, will tell your audience exactly what to do next. Whether you want them to book a consultation or buy a product, you’re going to spell it out in your blog’s closing.
There are a number of different CTAs that you could use. Which one you decide to use depends on what your goal of the blog is. Do you want to drive engagement or encourage sharing to build organic traffic? Or do you have a more concrete direction involved, such as booking a call or registering for a webinar? Whatever you want them to do, now is your time to say it.
Using a quality CTA at the end of a blog post is my favorite way to wrap up an article. It tells your audience the exact next step to take, leaving no room for confusion. I often include a CTA for the reader to download one of my freebies, especially if it’s relevant to the content they just read, or invite them to join my email list.
2. A Question
Posing a question is another way that you could end your blog post. This will encourage the readers to continue the conversation in the comment section. If you are looking to boost engagement, this is a route to consider.
At the end of your post, ask a thought-provoking question such as “How do you feel about [this topic]?” or “Do you use [this tactic] in your business?” Make it specific enough that people will want to answer but vague enough that people will feel excited to elaborate on their answer.
3. A Recap
Recaps at the end of blogs are especially helpful when writing a long and detailed piece. If your blog aims to educate your audience, give them a quick recap at the bottom that they can refer to.
The way this works is twofold. First, it will wrap up your piece by giving your readers the highlights of the content they just consumed. But it also works for readers who have scrolled through your content, without actually reading it. Many people will read a recap section to get the general gist of the article and then go back and find the information that they’re interested in.
4. A Personal Anecdote
Sometimes, the best way to wrap up a blog post is by humanizing it. A personal story or anecdote is a great way to do this.
For example, if you’re writing about a some-what heavy concept, such as how to encourage resilience in middle school students, it’s good to end on a positive note. Once you get through the meat of the information you want to rely on, wrap it up with a personal story about when this advice helped a student in real life. You can also dig back into your own middle school memories and revisit a time when resilience helped you in school.
By telling a personal story, you bring a human connection to the content and open the door for a connection between you and your reader. Many people will open their blogs with a personal anecdote, but consider ending your blog this way for a unique spin.
5. A Final Thought
“Final thoughts” work really well when describing an evolving strategy in your industry.
For example, say you’re writing a blog about new developments in AI, like ChatGPT. After going over all of the technical information in your blog, you can end it by giving a final reflection or thought on the topic. In this situation, you could talk about the role you personally see ChatGPT playing in the world of content marketing.
No matter what your final thought is, make sure it’s thought-provoking and leaves a lasting impact on your reader.
Overwhelmed? Hire a Blog Writer!
It’s pretty clear that there are a lot of reasons why you should add blogging to your content marketing strategy. But sometimes, no matter how many tips and tricks you read about, how many ideas you have for how to end your blog post, or how many topics you have on your list of ideas, writing a blog is just not something you have time to do or something you’re interested in.
When this happens, reach out to a ghostwriter! A quality writer will help you create that consistent brand awareness and authority-building content you desire, without having you spend hours writing the blogs yourself.
The team at Emily Writes, LLC is responsible for a number of blogs in a variety of different industries every month. If you’re interested in learning more about how our blog services could help you build brand awareness, rank higher on Google’s SERPs, or establish a connection between you and your audience, schedule a no-obligation consultation call, today.